


The Wolf

by notbug (KageKashu)



Series: Bloodhand and the God-king [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: Chimeras, Dubious Ethics, Dubious Morality, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-10
Updated: 2014-05-10
Packaged: 2018-01-24 05:09:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1592744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KageKashu/pseuds/notbug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alphonse is traveling, alone, to Central to become a State Alchemist. He spends the winter in a strange town, where many of the residents are chimeras.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> Warning, the general themes will get more than a little disturbing.

The wolf watched the young man that he had escorted into the town proper. His hair had a beautiful golden sheen, and a soft smile graced his lips. He was thin, the wolf noted. Not quite emaciated; the young man - no, boy - just looked as though his diet had been sparse for quite some time, followed closely by a time of plenty. His hollow cheeks were starting to fill out and there were signs, here and there, that once he was at full health, the boy would be very lovely. Even as he was, the wolf had to admit that he looked prettier than most of the boys, and even the girls, about the little hamlet where he had been raised. 

"I just realized," the boy said, laughing softly, "I never did ask your name." 

Although it wasn't phrased as a question, the wolf chose to interpret it as one. "They call me Chapel," he replied, quietly. The wolf wasn't used to talking to others. 

"But it isn't your name," the boy surmised. "Mine's Alphonse Elric - but you can call me Al. What's your actual name?" 

It took longer to remember than the wolf expected, but once he did, the name was on his tongue, "Nicholas. My parents named me Nicholas." 

"May I call you Nick?" the boy asked. The wolf shrugged in response. The human shape of his shoulders was irritating him today, and he suspected that it made him a bit short with the boy. Although, Al didn't seem to mind. There were many things that seemed just slightly wrong with Al; that vague half-smile was hardly even the beginning of it. For one thing, Al never turned to look at him. Not once. The boy's eyes were nearly shut as he walked, but the wolf thought that maybe his eyes were the same color as his hair, only a tiny bit darker. He held his hands in front of him as he walked, slowly tapping his index fingers together in what looked like a nervous gesture. Yet, the wolf smelled nothing of fear nor uncertainty on the boy. "You're a chimera, aren't you?" asked Al. 

Again, the wolf shrugged. "Does it matter?" He tried to school his tone toward something approaching gentleness. What came out was more like a bark, or a growl. On his human tongue, it sounded harsh. 

"I don't know," Al responded. "You seem mostly human at the moment. I almost would have thought you were human but..." The boy let out a frustrated sound. "For lack of a better phrase, you resonate wrong. You're too... dense. It's interesting. It's also potentially helpful to know about. What can you tell me about it?" 

The sound coming out of the wolf's throat was definitely a growl, yet the boy seemed undeterred. The wolf grit his teeth together, and planned on telling Alphonse nothing. 

* * *

The masters of the town welcomed the boy with open arms, by all appearances. Chapel, as the masters called him, knew better. Although they seemed excited about his name (Alphonse Elric, and Chapel wondered how it was significant), and treated him with friendly, almost filial respect, Chapel knew that they wanted something from the boy. What, he had no idea. 

Once he had escorted Alphonse into town, Chapel returned to his usual behaviors. Supposedly, he had actual duties, but he had managed to retain the willfulness of a human, rather than the dutiful behaviors of a wolf to his pack. Like a human, he used logic to excuse his misbehavior. Instinctively, he didn't like his masters. Logically, that meant that he should avoid them and anything that they wanted him to do. 

Besides, he wanted nothing to do with the younger daughter, with whom he was supposed to be spending time. They may call her his wife, but memories from long ago told him that that should have been his choice, and he certainly wouldn't have chosen her. 

With a grimace and a snort, he returned to his current misbehavior: eavesdropping. The boy he had escorted in was talking with one of the elders, an alchemist specializing in chimeras (in a family of alchemists specializing in chimeras), and Chapel's supposed wife's father. Chapel's ears strained to hear their voices, and only caught the boy's response, soft, yet clear as a bell, of "No, I don't think so." 

His hands shuffled through the rimy dirt outside of the window. The window was cracked, allowing the voices from inside to carry out to him. The barely-there grimace turned into a snarl as his "wife" began talking... about him. "It's too bad," she was saying, "but Chapel spends most of his time outdoors." A sigh. "I hear that you already met him?" 

"Yes," the boy replied. "He was quiet. He didn't say a word to me, at first." 

Chapel's father-in-law raised an eyebrow, surprised. As well he should be. It wasn't like Chapel spoke to anyone on a regular basis. "And just what did he say?" 

A soft laugh. "Very little, I'm afraid. He stopped answering my questions after I got his name from him." 

Chapel snorted, and the sound drew attention from inside. "Chapel, if that's you, you should come inside and eat with us," his "wife" called. 

As if. His boots crunched in the frozen dirt as he stood. They weren't getting him in there without an order from the old man. Even then, he might not go. 

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Will be updated as it is written, but it's not at the top of my plate at the moment. If you have prompts, questions or comments, feel free to come to [my blog](http://asknotbug.tumblr.com) and talk to me.


End file.
